British Patent No. 643,047 (Thorne) discloses a gripping device for attachment to a walking aid near a ground-engaging part thereof. The device comprises a pair of jaws, namely a rigid jaw and a resilient blade or jaw rigidly secured at its upper end to the rigid jaw and outwardly bowed so that normally the lower end of the blade is urged into contact with the lower end of the rigid jaw. The resilient blade has a lower anchorage for an operating member by which the spring may be flexed away from the rigid jaw in order to grip therebetween an article to be lifted or manipulated. The operating member disclosed is a cable secured by the lower anchorage at one end and connected to a ring at its other end adjacent the handle of the walking aid.
British Pat. No. 998,788 (Colbert) discloses a walking aid including a handle, a stem having a ground engaging portion and a finger pivotably mounted on the stem adjacent the ground-engaging portion. The finger is spring loaded into gripping engagement with the ground-engaging portion and an operating member comprising a trigger is provided on the stem adjacent the handle and connected to the finger by means of a wire or cable so that the finger can be moved away from the groundengaging portion against the action of the spring. The stem is hollow to accommodate most of the length of the wire or cable.
Both Thorne and Colbert have the disadvantage that persons suffering from arthritis and/or rheumatism may have difficulty operating rings or triggers with their fingers. Thorne discloses a structure which lies outside the body of the walking aid and is subject to damage and/or wear. Colbert involves drilling holes in the hollow stem to locate most of the wire or cable therewithin. Neither Thorne or Colbert disclose any means for preventing accidental operation of the operating member.
British Pat. No. 235,111 (Bonneault) discloses an appliance for setting or sowing small seeds in groups which bears some resemblance to a walking stick. The appliance has a handle and a hollow stem which has a lower opening closed by a cover resiliently biased against the stem. The cover is rigidly attached to an arm which carries a lever arrangement including a pedal such that when the lower end of the stem is inserted into the ground and with the pedal engaging the ground, downward pressure on the handle and rotation of the stem relative to the cover and lever arrangement causes the cover to move away from the opening so that a group of seeds passed by operation of a valve member which occurs simultaneously with the rotation of the stem causes the group of seeds to pass through the opening into the ground.
Bonneault is unsuitable for use as a walking aid, and is of a complicated structure embodying a ground-engaging pedal for its operation but demonstrates the possibility that downward pressure on the handle of a walking aid could be employed to operate a lever or cover pivotally mounted at the foot of the stem of the walking aid.